Portable grain elevator and weigher



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I. M. SOANLAN & J. T. HOUGH.

PORTABLE GRAIN ELEVATOR AND WEIGHER.

No. 271,134. Patented Jan.23,1883. v

(NoModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M. SOANLAN 8: J. T. HOUGH.

PORTABLE GRAIN'ELBVATOR AND WEIGHER.

Paten d IIFIIIIIIIII N. PETERS vlwwLulw m lmn Washmgmn. u.c.

TJNITED STATES Arnnr Orrice.

MORTIMER SOANL-AN AND JOHN T. HOUGH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOI.

PORTABLE GRAIN, ELEVATOR AND WEIGHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 271,134, dated January 23, 1883.

Application filed October 27, 1882.

To all whom t't may concern:

Be it known that we, MORTIMER SoANLAN and JOHN T. HOUGH, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State oflllinois, have invented a new and useful fPortable Grain Elevator and \Veigher, of which the following is a specification.

Heretofore in transferring grain from one railroad or car to another it has been customary to run the empty cars alongside the full ones on the side tracks, in what is called a dead-yard, and then place a chute between the doors of the cars and shovel the grain by hand from one car to the other, a number of workmen being employed in both the full and the empty cars, those in the latter for the purpose 'of leveling the grain and spreading it into the four corners of the car. This method ofloading and unloading cars is not only 1aborious, slow, and expensive, but in handling various materials of a light or dusty naturesuch as bran or oats, for example-the workmen have to wear sponges over their faces in order to protect themselves against the dust, which is very injurious to the lungs andoften the men are not so careful as they might be, and thereby considerable grain is lost by dropping between the cars; and after the grain is transferred in this way from one car to another, the loaded cars have to be drawn out to the scales and weighed separately, which requires the use of a locomotive and a great deal of time and trouble in switching, &c.

The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for automatically loading and unloading grain-cars and at the same time weighing the load, and thus save not only a great amount of manual labor, but obviate the necessity of hauling the cars oft'to a scale for the purpose of weighing them; and by the use of our invention in ten minutes time a load of grain can be transferred from one car to another and weighed.

Our invention consists essentially in the combination of a portable grain-scale with a grain elevator, chute, or other device for delivering the grain to the scale from the car, and a suitable chute, elevator, or device for delivering the grain from, the scale to the empty car.

(No model.)

It also consists in the novel devices and combinations of devices herein shown and described.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure l is an end elevation, partly in section, of a device embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a detailed perspective view of the end of the elevator. Fig. 3 is a detail plan of the car-axle crank. Fig.4 is aside elevation, partly in section; and Fig. 5 is a detail view of the quadrant-shaped rack.

In the drawings, A represents the car or truck, upon which the scale B is mounted.

O is the hopper, bin, or grain-receptacle of the scale, mounted and supported on the weighing-platform O of the scale, which is connected by suitable levers with the scale-beam C In the drawings we have not shown particularly the construction of the scale, as any ordinary construction ofscale may be used, and

their form and construction are well known.-

The bin 0 is preferably made large enough to hold one car-load of grain, so as to weigh the entire contentsot'a car at once; but,if desired, it may be made larger or smaller.

D is a grain-elevator mounted onthe car A, one at each end of thecar, and havingan endless chain or belt of buckets, d d, driven by the pulleys or spider-wheels d (1 The upper pulley-axle, (i or its bearings, is mounted in or supported by a slotted quadrant-shaped slide or guard, at, and the pulley d fordriving the elevator, is located at the center of this quadrant, so that the top end of the elevator may be pushed up or down in this slottedlquadrant d without affecting the tension of the driving belt or chain d. The elevator is raised or reciprocated up or down by means of a pinion, E, which is mounted on a pivoted prop, E, engaging with a rack, F, on the elevator-chute, the pinion E being operated by a gear, 6, and crank e or other suitable means. The lower end of the elevator is moved laterally in and out by oscillating the pivoted prop E by means of the crank f and pinion f, which engages with the quadrant-shaped rack F, secured to the end of the car. The rack F has an angle piece or flange, F whereby it is secured to the car, and this flange is provided with a curved slot, F for the shaft of the pinion f.

in which the pulley-shaft is 'journaled.

The elevator may thus be adjusted to any position desired. When the elevator is not in use, or when the car A is being moved from -bin 0.

H is a chute for delivering or discharging the grain from the weighing-receptacle (3 into the empty car. This chute H is made in two or more-parts, so that the lower part, H, may be telescoped or drawn up out of the way in moving the car. Itis held or supported, when in use, by pins It.

The lower end of the elevator D is open, consisting of an open frame-work, D, composed of two curved iron angle-pieces, k, united by cross-pieces k, and supporting the spiderslg y this open construction of the end of the elevator the buckets are allowed to fill, and the grain is prevented from packing between the bucket and the frame. The elevator-belt is driven by means of a small engine, L, on the car A, through suitable belts and gearing, l, 1, 1 ,1 1, and l, the gear 1 being on the shaft 1, to which the pulley d is also secured.

M represents a driver connected with a crank, m, on one of the car-axles, whereby the car A may be propelled and moved from one position to another, as may be desired.

' The buckets d d have curved faces.

1n the drawings it will be observed that the scale-bin U is elevated above the level of the cars; but, if preferred, it may be depressed between the wheels or trucks of the car A, so as to occupy a lower level, and the grain moved from the scale-bin to the empty car by means of the elevator and delivered into the scale-bin through a suitable chute; but in such case it is necessary to make the scale-bin shallow and large across; or, again, if preferred,

. an elevator may be used both for delivering the grain into and out of the scale-bin, in which case it may be arranged on the ordinary level of the cars. \Ve however prefer that shown in the drawings, as We deem it the best form known to us of practicing ourinvention.

In the drawings, N represents the full car, from which the grain or materialis to be transferred to the empty one, N. K

A discharge-chute, H, is provided on' each side of the car, so that the grain may be delivered from the scale-bin into cars on either side of the car A. r

We are aware of-the device shown in the Letters Patent No. 175,073, granted to William Goodwin, and we lay no claim to such device; neither do we claim broadly a longitudinally and laterally adjustable elevator, nor a telescopic or other chute, as we are awarethat such devices separately are not in themselves new, our invention consisting in the corn bination of certain devices constituting a portable apparatus for weighing car-loads of grain and at the same time transferring the load from one car to another.

We claim- 1. The portable grain elevator and weigher, consisting of a railway-car having its bin or chamber mounted on a scale-platform, a scale for weighing the contents of said bin, a device for delivering the load from one car into said bin, and a device for discharging or delivering the same after being weighedfrom said bin into another car, substantially as specior chamber supported on a scale-frame, a scale for weighing the contents thereof, a longitudinally and laterally adjustable elevator, and a telescoping chute, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of a car having its bin or chamber supported on a scale-frame, a scale for weighing the contents thereof, a longitudinally and laterally adjustable elevator mount-- ed on said car at each end thereof, and chutes for delivering the grain from said bin into cars on either side of the scale-car, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of elevator I), slotted quadrant-shaped guide 01, supporting the upper end of the elevator, and driving-pulley d journaled at the center of such quadrant, substantially as specified. 7

6. The combination of elevator D, provided with rack F, pivoted prop E, provided with pinion journaled thereon, and rack and pinion f, for oscillating said prop, substantially as specified.

7. The elevator D, supported adjustably on a pivoted oscillating prop and atits upper end in a slotted quadrant-shaped guide, substantially as specified.

8. The elevator D, provided at its lower end wiih an open frame-work, consisting of two curved angle-pieces united by cross-braces and provided with spiders in which the pulley or wheel is journaled, substantially as specified.

MORTIMER SOANLAN. JOHN T. HOUGH. Witnesses:

T. EVERETT BROWN, H. M. MUNDAY. 

